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Course Description
Welcome to Introduction to Robots! In this course, you and your students will go on an exploration of robotics. Through a series of activities that support inquiry and hands-on learning, students will develop an understanding of how robots function and the purposes for which they are used. Students will have the opportunity to learn how to code in the mBlockly application and program their own mBot robots. The final lessons of the course include a team competition in which students will apply the skills they’ve learned and a debate in which students consider important ethical questions around the use of robots in the modern world.
Level One
Students will be able to explain what a robot is and design a robot to solve a problem.
Students will be able to name the components of the mBot and describe the function of mBots components.
Students will be able to assemble an mBot
Students will be able to explain what a sequence and algorithm are.
Students will be able to create an algorithm for someone to follow.
Students will be able to use the mBlock Blockly app to program a robot.
Level Two
Students will be able to use an increasing number of features in mBlock Blockly to program my mBot.
Students will be able to improvise and use creativity to find solutions to programming challenges.
Students will be able to explain what a line follower is.
Students will be able to design a line follower track for the mBot.
Students will be able to create, draw, and engineer different tracks for the mBot to follow.
Students will participate in a competition to display their competency in programming the mBot to complete a series of tasks.
Examples of Some Standards Addressed
NGSS
3-5-ETS1-2 Constructing explanations and designing solutions in 3–5 progresses to the use of evidence in constructing explanations that specify variables that describe and predict phenomena and in designing multiple solutions to design problems.
Science and Engineering Practices
Constructing Explanations and Designing Solutions Generate and compare multiple solutions to a problem based on how well they meet the criteria and constraints of the design problem.
Disciplinary Core Ideas
ETS1.A: Defining and Delimiting Engineering Problems
Possible solutions to a problem are limited by available materials and resources (constraints).
The success of a designed solution is determined by considering the desired features of a solution (criteria).
Different proposals for solutions can be compared on the basis of how well each one meets the specified criteria for success or how well each takes the constraints into account.
ETS1.B Developing Possible Solutions Communicating with peers about proposed solutions is an important part of the design process, and shared ideas can lead to improved designs.
Crosscutting Concepts
Influence of Science, Engineering, and Technology on Society and the Natural World Engineers improve existing technologies or develop new ones to increase their benefits, decrease known risks, and meet societal demands.
Disciplinary Core Ideas
ETS1.C: Optimizing the Design Solution
Different solutions need to be tested in order to determine which of them best solves the problem, given the criteria and the constraints.
CCSS
Math
MP.2 Reason abstractly and quantitatively.
MP.5 Use appropriate tools strategically.
3-5.OA Operations and Algebraic Thinking
Schedule
Program Date Time Lessons
Robots: 3-5 Session 1 Saturday, September 10, 2022 11:00 AM- 1:00 PM What is a Robot? / Meet mBot
Robots: 3-5 Session 2 Saturday, September 17, 2022 11:00 AM- 1:00 PM Build mBot/ Coding unplugged
Robots: 3-5 Session 3 Saturday, September 24, 2022 11:00 AM- 1:00 PM Block Coding /Something New
Robots: 3-5 Session 4 Saturday, October 1, 2022 11:00 AM- 1:00 PM Line Follower / Robots at work
Robots: 3-5 Session 5 Saturday, October 8, 2022 11:00 AM- 1:00 PM What’s your plan?
Robots: 3-5 Session 6 Saturday, October 15, 2022 11:00 AM- 1:00 PM Time to Compete
